Lamborghini Cabrera spotted

The Italian supercar brand’s new Cabrera coupe has been spotted undergoing performance testing at the Nurburgring in Germany.

The new model is expected to make use of the same 5.2-litre V10 engine in the Gallardo, with power likely to be upwards of 450kW or 600 horsepower, which would mean it would likely wear the LP 600 badge. The current Gallardo models make between 550 and 560 horsepower (410-417kW).

Both rear- and all-wheel-drive models are expected, and the new model is expected to borrow the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as is fitted to the Audi R8 supercar in place of the clunky e-gear automated manual gearbox in the Gallardo. No manual model is expected to be offered.

The new model is expected to be constructed primarily of lightweight aluminium, but will also feature a slathering of carbon fibre parts and possibly some fibreglass to help save even more mass. Initial reports suggest it will be 100 kilograms lighter than the Gallardo.

Below the bloated black plastics covering the entire body of the car, there are glimpses of actual bodywork, with the front bumper visible through the air intake gaps, and the design of the headlights is also clear.

While the images of the highly camouflaged coupe give little away in terms of how the car will be styled, Drive’s illustrators have managed to give a glimpse at how the new model could look when it’s revealed in 2014, possibly at the 2014 Detroit motor show in January or the 2014 Geneva motor show in March.

The Cabrera name isn’t confirmed for the new model, but the new moniker - which translates to goatherd in Spanish, but is borrowed from a famous fighting bull - has been in circulation for a number of years.

There’s currently no details on the local arrival of the new Cabrera in Australia, but we’d expect it could arrive by late 2014, priced from about $400,000.